"I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time."
~ Jack London

Bookworm Challenge 2016

1.) "Pleasures of the Damned" by Charles Bukowski
2.) "Batman and Psychology" by Travis Langley
3.) "Glory O'Brien's History of the Future" by A.S. King
4.) "The Best of Batman: 50th Anniversary in Film and Television"
5.) "Tough Sh*t: Life Advice From a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good" by Kevin Smith
6.) "Lady Midnight" by Cassandra Clare
7.) "The Killing Joke" Alan Moore
8.) "The Merciless II" by Danielle Vega
9.) All Star Batman #1, #2, #3
10.) "Batman: Year One" Frank Miller
11.) "Rebirth: Batman" & "DC Universe Rebirth: Batman"

So, here we go – my very first monthly haul post for my collection! Well, aside from the birthday/con post. If you like this post, please let me know, and I’ll keep them going! Now, let’s get started:

Batgirl Mopeez plush

Joker Mopeez plush

Okay, technically, this one is from the end of August, but I was really excited to finally own it, so I want to share it anyway! Haha. This is the Complete 1940’s Movie Serials Collection. In the 1940s, before Adam West took up the cowl, two other men played the role of Batman: Lewis Wilson (Batman 1943) and Robert Lowery (Batman and Robin 1949) in 15 chapter movie serials. These weren’t the greatest things ever made, by far, and that’s probably part of why people don’t talk about them as much. But this is part of Batman’s early history, and a necessity in my opinion for any Batman collector.

I really wanted more of the Riddler in my collection, so I ordered this Riddler bust bank, and I love him!

This Harley Quinn head bank is seriously HUGE. Like, lifesize head. But I adore it!

However, this is a tiny snow globe. Probably around the size of a baseball in the globe itself. Either way, it’s adorable.

Batgirl Ame-Comi figure. I really love Batgirl, so adding a few things with her this month has made me pretty happy.

The Dorbz figures really live up to their name because they’re ADORABLE. I added Killer Croc (far right) this month, so I’m all caught up until more are released, not including the Dorbz XL Batman and Robin just released.

Now, not every month is like this. I believe there was around 42 items. Some months, there’s more stuff. Some months, less stuff. It depends on factors such as what is going on that month and what has to be paid for, or whether I buy more expensive items than cheaper stuff. I have two statues coming in this month that took up some money from my wallet, plus some other things I’ve wanted and finally ordered. So, it really varies.

If you liked this post, give it a like or drop a comment, and I can do one of these the end of every month. I’m also happy to answer questions about each item, if you’re looking for it yourself.

I’ve decided to do an initial post of my Batman Collection haul idea, starting with the things I received for my birthday and what I picked up at con. If you like this post, let me know! I plan to follow up with a collection haul post for the month of September as well. Here we go!

My VIP badge for Wizard World Chicago. Ben McKenzie, who plays Detective James Gordon in the Fox TV show “Gotham”

Autograph from Ben McKenzie. I also have a photo of myself with him, as well as a dual photo of myself with him and Sean Pertwee, but I don’t have a good picture of that picture, so I’ll save it for my Wandering NerdGirl blog haha.

Speaking of Sean Pertwee..

Seriously one of the coolest actors I’ve met. I love him in so much more, but obviously I needed a photo of him as Alfred – or “00-Alfred”, as he signed it.

Picked up the DC Collectibles replica Detective badge of James Gordon from Gotham. I wanted it anyway, seemed fitting to get it on the trip.

Another Batman related actor I had the pleasure of meeting was Adrienne Barbeau. Again, someone I loved for so much more, but HAD TO get her autograph on something Catwoman, since she voiced her in the Animated Series.

I picked up this gorgeous Poison Ivy print from artist Greg Horn at con. Absolutely loved it and his art in general.

I bought this Batman cover replica print and had Neal Adams sign it for me – something I’ve wanted to do for so long!

I first heard about Travis Langley in the documentary “Legends of the Knight”, and I’ve wanted his book, “Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight”, for a while. I love Batman, I love Psychology, and I love this book so far!

Batman Returns Catwoman Kenner figure I’ve wanted for some time.

Final con related pick up – this Bleacher Creature Harley Quinn plush I’ve been wanting for a while.

Alright, now that we have that hurdle out of the way, let’s show a few of my beloved birthday gifts!

These were from my mom, and I technically had them for a little while before my birthday, but still. Batman, Robin, and Batgirl from the 60’s Batman television show.

Assorted goodies from my best friend.

Badass Harley Quinn and Batman umbrella from my brother.

Harley Quinn goodies from my lovely Skylar, all the way in Washington right now

Sometimes, when I’m working on a single project, I can focus solely on that one project and block out every other idea bouncing about in my head. Lately, however, I’ve been lacking the focus to get everything done I need to with one project from start to finish, because I get distracted by new ideas, and then my brain cannot focus on the project at hand.

That’s where I’m at right now. I need to focus on revision edits and things, buuuuuuut this idea keeps popping into my head. So, I decided to give in and let it have some of my attention, hoping that if I could appease it by writing down my ideas, it would settle down. Nope. Ideas abundant.

But, hey – who am I to complain? Writing is writing. At this point, any writing I can get done is good. Even if it isn’t a priority project.

I’m slowly but surely making myself a main focus, as selfish as that sounds. I spend so much time devoted to work or family or friends, that I don’t save time for Angel. Not that work/friends/family shouldn’t be counted as important. But a girl has to have her time to herself, you know? My projects, my relaxing time, my time to do whatever I need or want. Sometimes I just want to watch a movie by myself while I clean my room. Most of the time I’m around other people. I’m an introvert – I need recharge time, away from people.

Not just that, though – I need to give my health priority over everything else. I need a healthier lifestyle, but the more stressed I get, the more I crave comfort foods and soda. That’s not what my body needs, and I need to focus on that more.

Something big, though it sounds odd to say, that I’ve been reintegrating back into my regular life is horror. I used to watch horror movies all the time. I read horror. I was obsessed with it. I originally really got into writing through my love of horror – that’s what my first real stories were. I started thinking about it and realized that maybe part of my slump, as strange as it sounds, could have something to do with that.

It seems to be helping thus far. I feel better and more like myself. It’s such a simple and weird solution, to just watch some horror movies and read some creepy books. But whatever it takes to make me feel better, you know?

Speaking of – my Batman collection has been getting a lot of nurturing lately, and it’s growing into something I’m really proud of and want to showcase. I’d like to do more pictures and updates on it, maybe a monthly haul post? I’m not sure yet. If you’re interested, definitely let me know!

Everyone that knows me, knows that I am a Batman obsessed weirdo with a collection that is constantly growing. I’ve loved Batman since I was a little kid, and my passion has grown exponentially from there. Comics, movies, collectables, miscellaneous memorabilia… I love it all. When I was two months shy of turning two years old, Batman Returns was about to hit theaters, and I was ecstatic. My mom took my brother and I to the theater early to see it, and I could barely contain my excitement. Unfortunately, two year olds plus way too much energy beforehand PLUS sitting in a dark theater equaled me passing out in the middle, which broke my little heart. I did get to see it, and my mom bought it for me when it came out (a big deal, since we didn’t have much money at that time.) And, as shown above, Catwoman made quite an impression on me. She was my favorite for the longest time, and I had a few cool Catwoman and Batman toys. I still remember how that costume and mask felt.

Granted, if I would have been wiser when I was younger, I’d have a fortune in amazing older Batman stuff. But since I hadn’t thought of it as stuff I’d be collecting as I got older, I didn’t keep it all, or some was damaged beyond any point of keeping it. A few things made it with me to adulthood, at least. But I shake my head at the things I’ve lost.

Fast forward to now. I’m constantly expanding my knowledge of the DC Universe, but more specifically Batman oriented things. I collect a variety of memorabilia, from statues and collector items, to action figures, to miscellaneous random finds. If it’s Batman, it is probably on my list of things to get. (Seriously. My Amazon Wishlist is INSANE.) Friends and coworkers are always on the lookout for items I may have missed, or just random Batman oriented gifts. You should see the neat stuff I get from Six Flags St Louis.

At the moment, I’m trying to document my collection in an album on my personal Facebook page. I started doing this just with new items I received of various nerdy things, but then separated those into two categories, giving Batman his own album. Then, I decided I’d start taking individual photos (or mostly individual photos) of the rest of my collection, with the thought in mind that this would be beneficial for myself in tracking what I have, as well as for friends and family gift shopping for me.

Until, that is, I learned there was a Guinness Book of World Records holder for largest Batman collection. Kevin Silva of Indianapolis holds the record at 2,554 pieces. His collection is AMAZING. I would be that fan that falls to her knees in tears if I saw it in person. He’s inspired me to make my collection so impressive. And, hopefully, it can even surpass his someday.

So, I’m going to begin taking inventory of exactly what I have, with photos and spreadsheets and documentation to really prove what I have. And some day, I will have a worthy collection as awesome as Kevin Silva does. He seems like one awesome guy!

Anyway, I may eventually post some of the collection on here, maybe a page up there near my Bio or something. Or, I could just link you to my on Facebook profile. Who knows?